Chambana Sun

Heritage Community Unit School District 8 reported 26 suspensions or expulsions for the 2021-22 school year, according to the latest student discipline report by the Illinois State Board of Education.

According to the report, the district expelled or suspended 26 students during the year. This equates to seven percent of the 371 students enrolled.

Students were expelled for one incident with violence without physical injury, four incidents with alcohol and tobacco, one incident with drugs, one incident with a dangerous weapon, other than a firearm.

The district reported that most in-school suspension was given for dangerous weapon, of which there was one. There was one incident of unspecified reasons. For two incidents, students were suspended for one to two days.

Boy students received 16 suspensions, while 10 girls were suspended.

There were 12 elementary or middle school students, and 14 high school students suspended in 2021-22 school year.

The district reported that most out-of-school suspensions were given for unspecified reasons, of which there were 18. There were four incidents of tobacco. For eight incidents, students were suspended for one to two days.

Illinois ranks as the 5th state in terms of the overall number of schools and student enrollment among all states.

Illinois lawmakers enacted laws in 2015 to restrict schools from disciplining a disproportionate number of Black and minority students out of school and into the criminal justice system, often for minor misbehavior.

	In-school Suspension	Out-of-school Suspension
Alcohol	0	0
Violence with injury	0	0
Violence without injury	0	1
Drug offenses	0	1
Firearm	0	0
Other dangerous weapons	1	0
Tobacco	0	4
Other reason	1	18
Total	2	24

	In-school Suspension	Out-of-school Suspension
One day or less	0	0
1-2 days	2	8
2-3 days	0	8
3-4 days	0	6
4-10 days	0	2
More than 10 days	0	0